AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron women's basketball team placed four players in double figures to defeat Northern Kentucky University, 82-49, at the James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday afternoon to conclude the Akron Classic.
 
Anita Brown finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists to lead Akron (2-0), while Sina King added 17 points, two rebounds and one blocked shot.  Hannah Plybon scored 16 points and pulled down five boards, and Kerri McMahan rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and four assists for the Zips.
 
Both teams struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the early goings, but a7-0 run after the second media timeout by Akron gave the Zips a 16-7 lead with 8:01 remaining in the first half. 
 
After a pair of layups by Christine Roush and one from Rianna Gayheart cut the Akron lead to eight (25-17) with 4:06 left in the opening stanza, the Zips rattled off 10 straight points, capped by a conventional three-point play by Alex Ricketts, to end the half and take a 35-17 advantage into halftime.
 
Akron pulled down 24 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, and forced NKU into 12 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.  The Zips shot 45.5 percent (15-for-33) from the floor in the first half while limiting the Norse to just 28.0 percent (7-for-25).
 
Kelley Wiegman cut into the NKU (1-1) deficit on a driving layup in the second half, but Akron went on an 8-2 run, highlighted by a pair of Hannah Plybon 3-pointers, to stretch its advantage to 50-25 at the 15:18 mark.  The Zips extended their lead to as many as 31 (63-32) in the second half, and the Norse were unable to get any closer than 24 over the final eight minutes.
 
Akron finished with a 46-30 advantage in rebounding, including 14 offensive boards.  The Zips shot 45.9 from the floor for the game and went 19-for-23 from the free-throw line.
 
Roush led NKU with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, while Melody Doss added 11 points.  Mikayla Terry also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and scored six points for the Norse, who shot 37.9 percent (11-for-29) from the floor in the second half to finish at 33.3 percent for the game, and Molly Franson blocked a game-high three shots.

Roush and Doss each earned a spot on the Akron Classic All-Tournament Team for their performances against Delaware State and Akron this weekend.
 
NKU hits the road again on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to take on Illinois State in Normal, Illinois.  Tipoff from Redbird Arena is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.  The Norse will then open the 2014-15 home portion of their schedule on Nov. 22, playing host to Loyola (Chicago) at 4 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the NKU men's basketball team.
 
Links to live stats and the video broadcast for both contests are available at NKUNorse.com.  Fans can also keep track of live game updates on Twitter by following @NKUNorseGameDay.